Christine Flowers: There are no ‘ex-Marines’
My Uncle Louie, the Marine.
Eighty-three years ago, our national innocence was shattered. Some might call it inertia, given the fact that the rest of the world had been at war for years. We tried to ignore it, but when the bombs came crashing down in fiery meteors on our young men at Pear Harbor, the hesitation was over. We were at war.
It was a day, December 7th, that marked a dividing line between the older America, and the modern country that we live in today. It might not seem as clear a demarcation as it is, and in some ways life was unchanged. But for those who ran to recruiting stations the moment they heard about the tragedy in Oahu, and for their families, and now their descendants who remember the stories as I do, it was the moment when America said: “We have this. We are doing this. We are coming, now.”
The soldiers, the sailors and the Marines, always the Marines, jumped into action. Midway, Guadalcanal, Wake Island and the Coral Sea. These were the warriors who helped save civilization, these achingly young men who had just started shaving, who went where angels fear to tread. Only they were not “fools,” they were patriots. That sentiment still exists in some of our citizens today, some who hear the call that others pretend to ignore. Those who say, “if not me, who? If not now, when?”
I see a distinct connection between Daniel Penny, the young man who is on trial for killing a deranged ex-felon who terrorized passengers in the New York subway by screaming that he didn’t care if he went back to jail, and the men of December 7th. This is what I wrote on social media:
“Today is the day that created modern America, an America that had the war brought home, to our shores. 83 years ago, soldiers and Marines jumped into action to protect the homeland. In many ways, Daniel Penny channeled that same spirit: Rush in to defend the innocent. Semper Fi.”
Sadly, there are a lot of Americans who think that Penny is a killer, and should be sentenced to jail for taking the life of the subway terrorist. I will not use the deceased’s name, because every media outlet that has covered the trial has humanized the so-called victim as a way of demonizing Penny. This young Marine, because as my uncle used to say, there are no “ex-Marines,” was not threatened. He could have taken care of himself. He could have even moved to another car.
But there were children on that subway as the mentally ill homeless person got in their faces screaming expletives. There were elderly people, and women. There were innocent people going about their daily routines, coming face to face with fury.
I have been like them, trapped underground in a subway car where sick people take advantage of the tunnels and the lack of egress, the inability to flee, and prey on you. I have been punched in the head, I have had a man expose his penis to me, I have had people shooting up drugs one seat away, I have had beggars get violent when I ignore them, and no one has come to my aid. There were no Daniel Pennys on my journeys.
For that reason alone, I consider him a hero. The idea that in a moment of crisis, when lives hang in the balance, that he should have counted the seconds on his chokehold to see if the man with the superhuman adrenaline of the drug addicted, the power of the mentally unstable, would play nice and stop being a threat, is itself a form of social justice madness.
Daniel Penny is a Marine. He was trained to do what he did, rush in and protect. Our criminal justice system has turned the lesson of December 7th upside down, making the hero warrior into the enemy.
This is not the world my Uncle Louie would recognize, and I am glad that he is not here to see it.
Update: Daniel Penny was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide on Monday, after the judge dismissed the more serious charge of second degree manslaughter on Friday afternoon at the prosecution’s request. This is an indication that the jurors understood what every subway passenger threatened with bodily harm has understood every time he swipes his fare card: he may be risking his life by simply living it. For this author, justice was served.
Christine Flowers is an attorney and lifelong Philadelphian. @flowerlady61
Thank you and well stated Christine that our current system has turned so much upside down. Made the mistake of watching a “report” on his acquittal on the PBS NewsHour this evening. They did their best to humanize the menace and portray him as a victim and cast doubt wherever they could on the motives and actions of Mr. Penny.
PBS: Our tax dollars at work
Nippon Steel, a big steel company from Japan, wants to buy U.S. Steel to avoid tariffs, which are extra taxes that make selling steel in the U.S. more expensive. By owning U.S. Steel, they can sell more easily without those costs. However, this could be dangerous for U.S. defense because steel is crucial for making cars, buildings, and military equipment. If a foreign company controls a major steel source, the U.S. might not have enough steel in emergencies, putting national security at risk.
(That is 83 words for 83 years ago.)
Marines fought on all those islands: Guadalcanal, Tulagi, Tarawa, Makin, Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. And now Nippon Steel is placing ads on your website to buy U.S. Steel possibly putting our national security at risk. What did you write about fools?
Thank you for your article. I’m sorry that you have been attacked on the train. Last weekend a brief thought crossed my mind about taking our young children on a train ride to Philadelphia to walk around the Christmas Village. Not a chance. SEPTA is going broke because it is not safe. Philadelphia is going broke because the public schools are terrible.
Glad to hear Daniel Penny was not convicted. Is there a GoFundMe for his civil trial?
Thank you for expressing what any rational person would agree with 100%. My father was a a member of the “greatest generation” leaving his parents and siblings to fly 25 missions in a B-24 Liberator over Nazi Germany. They crash landed once in France after running out of fuel dodging anti aircraft attacks. When the war ended he came home and resumed his life as a civilian. All he would ever say was “I was just doing my job for the country I love”. I miss him a lot but am also glad he is no longer here to see how crazy off kilter America has become.
I grew up admiring Marines like “ Uncle Louie “, that’s why I enlisted in the Corps ;to see if they could make me like your uncle.
They did and I am proud to have the title of United States Marine.
I, too, am nostalgic for 83 years ago when despite the original “America First”-ers’ agenda, we fought *against* radical right-wing populist authoritarianism instead of supporting it. Imagine if the brave marines who fought in Iwo Jima, and Okinawa had listened to the “America First”-ers then who, like now, told us that defending liberty was too risky and expensive and required too much bravery. Imagine if those marines had insisted on tucking their tails and cutting awful deals with the tyrants of the time instead of standing up to them.
The sad fact is that remembering something from 83 years ago is asking a LOT in an era where half the population can’t even remember a few months ago when they virtue signaled non-stop about how much they opposed “unelected ruling class tech elites with too much power” like… ya know… elon musk or peter theil. Apparently they’ve even managed to suddenly forget about all that railing they did against Bezos and Altman and Zuckerberg now that they, too are dropping obscene amounts of money to show their allegiance to Dear Leader at the inauguration. Not to mention the total 180 from only a few months ago on big pharma corporate elites like… say… Ramaswamy! Compared to all that, 83 years is an eternity.